I expect a much better showing: Gibson

Despite showing some glimpses of their abundant talent, West Indies were unable to pose much of a challenge in their opening Test against India at Kolkata, which they lost within three days. Head coach Ottis Gibson said their performance in the first Test was not reflective of their true potential and they have a lot more to offer on the cricket field.

"We showed glimpses of what we are capable of in Kolkata but not for a sustained period. The things that we did wrong, we are trying to put those right. We know in India we have to bat long. We have to put runs on the board. 400 minimum in the first innings really. We were a little bit rusty coming in but we are not going to use that as an excuse. I expect that you will see a much better showing from this West Indies team in the next Test match," Gibson said.

West Indies decided to go in with only five frontline batsmen in the opening Test and when asked if it was a mistake, Gibson said: "When you look at the result, you sort of want to think that way. (We went in with) that line up because that won us the last 3-4 Test matches, and we back those guys. That is something we obviously have to look at going into the next Test. We have to look at what combination to put out to make sure that we win. We still believe strongly that we can win here."

Gibson, when asked if the occasion of Sachin Tendulkar playing his farewell series got the better of the visitors in the first Test, Gibson disagreed and said the West Indians were aware of what was to be done on the field.

"I don't think the occasion got better of the contest. We are all paying a tribute to a legend but at the end of the day we are very aware of what we are here to do. We didn't do it as well as we should have done," he said.

Indian pacer Mohammed Shami had a superb debut, picking up a nine wicket haul at Eden Gardens and Gibson said he was impressed with the Indian pacer although he felt that he would not be able to make such an impact in Mumbai.

"Shami, we don't know much about him and he bowled very well. He was very accurate. He got the swing in late. He did very well on his debut. We have to learn from that match. I don't think the pitch here is going to be abrasive as the one in Kolkata. I don't think that reverse swing will play much of a role as it did in Kolkata but we have to wait and see."

"We have batsmen who have faced reverse swing before and got runs. Chris Gayle, Shiv, Marlon Samuels have all faced reverse swing before. They haven't faced Mohammed Shami before, so that is something we will have to get used to," Gibson added.

Even as Sachin Tendulkar is gearing up to play his 200th and final Test in Mumbai, West Indian batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul is on the threshold of an important milestone as he is getting set to play his 150th Test. Gibson, while saluting Tendulkar's achievements, said Chanderpaul is also a legend and his contributions to West Indies cricket must also be celebrated.

"Sachin is playing his 200th game. He is a legend in India and around the world. Shiv is also a legend in our dressing room. Whilst we salute and celebrate Sachin, we also salute and celebrate Shiv. It is a wonderful achievement for him to be around so long and still enjoying his cricket. He is same on the field and same around the dressing room. We are very happy to have him around in our dressing room and make his 150th appearance for West Indies," Gibson said.

Shikhar Dhawan smashed a magnificent 119 off just 95 deliveries in the third and final ODI in Kanpur to help India to a series win over the West Indies. The southpaw stated that he wanted to continue scoring tons and help India win more matches.

Yuvraj Singh returned to form with a fine 55 off 74 deliveries against the West Indies in the third and final ODI in Kanpur. He put together a match-winning 129-run stand with centurion Shikhar Dhawan as hosts India beat the visitors by a comprehensive margin of 5 wickets with plenty of overs to spare.

Shikhar Dhawan blasted his fifth century of the year while Yuvraj Singh bounced back to form with his 51st half-century as India made light work of the West Indies to romp to a five-wicket victory and take the three-match series 2-1.